Remembering Raphael Cutler ז׳׳ל Raphael Cutler ז”לwas a very special person. With his wife Carmel we were close neighbours for 10 years, living in the same building, until they left Netanya shortly before Pesach this year, to begin a new phase of their lives in a retirement facility in Yerushalayim. Sadly Raphael passed away three days after Tisha b’Av, just four months later. We are saddened by his passing and will miss him. For ten years, the community was blessed by Raphael’s presence – when he layned, he was telling a story that we had to follow, and no matter that it took longer than usual; when he gave a lecture for the library his knowledge of history, nature, architecture and Judaism all rolled into an unforgettable evening; and his love of history, his humour and creativity left their mark on all who knew him. Among his attributes was his ability to deliver a good sermon, which he did with modesty and humility, in McDonald’s shul, usually during the summer when Rabbi Katz was away. Raphael would write his script by hand, and rewrite it till he was satisfied, and 26 | Rosh Hashanah 2021
from the pulpit he would read it - slowly and clearly; loudly and expressively; capturing his audience with his original ideas. With Carmel’s permission I have transcribed the sermon Raphael gave on Shabbat 6th July 2019, פרשת חקת. Raphael had his own style, and nothing has been edited. Be it many commas, hyphenating the words ‘to-day’ and ‘Yahr-zeit’ or his shorthand ‘&’s, here is an unforgettable message. – Elizabeth Dorfman “To-day could well be called the שבת of anniversaries. Firstly, in the Hebrew calendar, to-day’s date is the third day of Tammuz, which commemorates the 25th Yahr-zeit of Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, better known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe. In the secular calendar, to-day is the nearest שבתto the fourth of July, which is, of course, American Independence Day. But July 4th is also the anniversary of the day when, in 1976, Israeli commandos rescued 102 Israeli citizens, who were held hostage, waiting to be exchanged for Palestinian
